In National Glare, Christie Pulls Out Crisis Playbook

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks about his knowledge of a traffic study that snarled traffic at the George Washington Bridge during a news conference in Trenton, New Jersey.

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Take responsibility, but draw distance from the scandal.

That was the strategy Chris Christie adopted Thursday in his nearly two-hour nationally televised press conference about the apparent political vendetta that led to lane closures on the George Washington Bridge in September. The lane closures caused a four-day traffic disaster and public safety hazard in Fort Lee, N.J., in September – and now have threatened Mr. Christie’s political standing, as well. Mr. Christie recently won re-election easily and has been seen as a GOP front-runner in 2016 should he decide to seek the U.S. presidency.

Mr. Christie took a number of steps Thursday that are the hallmark of damage control in political scandals:

He apologized . . . The governor apologized to the people of New Jersey, the citizens of Fort Lee and to members of the legislature. “I believe that all of the people who were affected by this conduct deserve this apology, and that’s why I’m giving it to them,’’ he said.

Further, Mr. Christie showed contrition, calling himself “embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team.’’

Moreover, he said he intended to go to Fort Lee to apologize to the mayor personally – a further gesture to show sincerity.

… But he separated himself from the scandal.

Mr. Christie said he knew nothing of the lane closures: “I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or it execution,’’ he said, “and I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here.’’

He also said dismissed the possible personal motivation for the bridge-lane closures – as retribution by Mr. Christie for Mayor Mark Sokolich of Fort Lee for declining to endorse Mr. Christie’s re-election as governor. Mr. Sokolich “was never on my radar screen,’’ the governor said. “He was never mentioned to me as somebody whose endorsement we were even pursuing.’’ That was a further attempt to show that he could have played no role in the lane closures.

He took responsibility…

“I’m the governor. So, I’m taking that responsibility,’’ he said.

…But he suggested that no governor could have full control of the state bureaucracy.

While saying he took responsibility, Mr. Christie made a plea of sorts: “I have 65,000 people working for me every day. And I cannot know what each one of them is doing at every minute.’’

He took action and answered many reporter questions . . . Mr. Christie said that on Thursday morning he fired a deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly, saying that “she lied to me’’ when he queried his staff four weeks ago on whether they had any information about the decision to close traffic lanes in Fort Lee. Mr. Christie also in essence fired a close political aide, Bill Stepien, who had run his campaigns for governor.

Moreover, Mr. Christie answered questions – for nearly two hours. His goal clearly is to show himself as fully forthcoming.

Mr. Christie also said that he would “work cooperatively’’ with other investigations into the bridge matter. That offer becomes important, given that the U.S. attorney in New Jersey has started an inquiry into whether the lane closures violated federal law.

. . . But some questions will linger. Mr. Christie said he queried his staff four months ago about the bridge matter – and critics are sure to ask why he was satisfied by answers that have turned out to be false. Questions also will continue about the emails released so far, which include large numbers of redactions. Mr. Christie’s critics are sure to ask what material is being held from public view.

Will the press conference put the matter behind him?

With prosecutors now looking at the case, it’s too early to know. If the federal investigator shakes loose information that casts doubt on Mr. Christie’s statements today, the political damage to him would be great.

Moreover, new information about the case may emerge from David Wildstein, the longtime Christie associate who appeared to have played a central role in the lane closures from his former post at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Mr. Wildstein on Thursday refused to answer questions before a legislative committee, citing his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination.

Mr. Christie may have made a strong case for himself with his press conference, arguing that he took decisive action quickly once he learned that his staff was involved in the lane closures.

Democrats, however, are sure to argue that Mr. Christie is directly responsible for the people who work closest to him — and that he built the culture that allowed the lane closure incident to take place. Whether the public comes to judge Mr. Christie by judging the people he fired today remains an open question.

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